 |
|
|
January 2010 Commentary
New Year’s resolutions on climate change
 by Bruce Graham
CEO of Indiana Statewide Association
of Rural Electric Cooperatives
As we begin a new year, many folks have made personal and professional resolutions. Those might be promises to exercise more, save money, take a class, do a better job keeping in touch with friends, etc.
I imagine certain scientists have resolved not to write e-mails that undermine the credibility of their work. Climategate, as the mess has been dubbed, should spawn congressional hearings into the validity of the science on which the climate change debate is based. Meanwhile, the Dec. 7 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declarations that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses “threaten public health and welfare” virtually assures continued congressional action.
While the EPA has been aggressive in exercising its regulatory powers since the start of the new administration, in this latest announcement Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator, stated it would prefer a congressional solution. However, she also noted that the Obama administration “will not ignore science or the law any longer.”
Rural electric cooperatives across the nation are concerned that an overly restrictive set of EPA regulations, written by bureaucrats rather than elected and accountable officials, could damage a fragile U.S. economy and devastate coal-dependent states such as Indiana. Therefore, we remain resolute in our goal to work with Congress to address climate change in a fair, affordable and achievable manner.
So back to the New Year’s Resolutions. These are ours for the climate change issue.
Resolution — Work with Congress on fair, affordable, and achievable legislation. Toward that goal, significant improvements are necessary in both the House and Senate language. Those improvements include:
• A formula for distribution of carbon allowances to local distribution companies that is based on emissions and is equitable for all regions of the country.
• Cost containment measures such as a safety valve that ensures future affordability of electricity.
• Reasonable emission caps and a timetable that allows for the development of necessary technology. Emission reduction targets that are too aggressive will make any program unaffordable and unworkable.
Resolution — Eliminate regulatory duplication. The EPA announcement that carbon dioxide emissions pose a threat to public health is a bureaucratic and regulatory commitment to action. Lawsuits are guaranteed but unlikely to help. Thirty-nine such lawsuits have been filed to prevent implementation of rules and regulations for the Clean Air Act since 2000 … and only once have the courts stayed the implementation of those regulations. It might be pretty hard to find a judge who would halt implementation in light of an EPA “harmful to health” finding accompanied by a Supreme Court order to act. In the end, if Congress makes rules, they should supersede all federal, state and local efforts to regulate greenhouse gasses.
Resolution — Decide something. Our industry needs certainty. We need to know what types of generation will be permitted in order to prepare for future demand. It takes at least 10 years to construct most fossil-fuel baseload generation. Nuclear, a zero carbon generation source, will take even longer. Wind and solar have some value and shorter construction times — but they also have serious reliability constraints and cannot meet baseload power needs.
Legislation that reduces carbon doesn’t have to be cap-and-trade. A fair and affordable solution could reduce carbon emissions by creating energy efficiency incentives and accelerating implementation of alternative energy, nuclear and clean-coal technologies.
Resolution — Exercise our rights. You can learn more at www.ourenergy.coop and www.fairpowernow.org. The Fair Power Now Web site contains a great new video explaining the concept of cap-and-trade and how it will affect your electric bill. At both sites, you can register your opinion with members of the Indiana congressional delegation.
Best wishes for the New Year, and I hope your resolutions are fair, affordable and achievable.
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 12/22/2009
Number of Views: 240
Return
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|